Airbus A380

[Mojocvh]

http://www.airbus.com/aircraftfamilies/passengerai...

und

http://www.a380love.com/

Edited by Mojocvh on Thursday 20th February 19:51

[Kenty]

I have flown in the A380 quite a few times now and probably not the prettiest of aircraft but does that really matter so much? I think the passenger experience is more important, the quietness, air quality, smoothness, unnoticeable pressurization/de-pressurization, roominess, comfort, business bar and seats are really what counts.
It is not the aircrafts fault that some airports have a baggage, immigration or security issues with a lot of passengers- in the past I have arrived at airports when two 747s have arrived it's not so good, but I have have noticed the extra people make some difference but not really a significant one with the A380, occasionally but not often.
Regarding the economics of an A380, Tim Clark CEO of Emirates firmly believes in the hub to hub method and they are ordering a whole lot more and he says he wishes he had more. Because Boeing can't make the older technology of 747's attractive really means they missed an opportunity, they needed a new 4 engine jet to compliment and work with the 787, a little like the A350 and A 380 will do.

[AER]

Max_Torque said:

It just takes the right angle, and the A380 impresses:





The way the wing curves and thickens towards the main fuselage is practically sexual.... ;-)

Sigmund rang for you earlier. He'd like a chat...

[brenflys777]

The 380 is an unusual aeroplane. It reminds me of the AC/DC song 'Whole lot of Rosie' - "she ain't exactly pretty, ain't exactly small…" however, she rocks.

I can comment as a passenger and a pilot.

As a passenger and a pilot the best features are the lower cabin altitude and substantially reduced noise levels. In an aeroplane that will typically fly long sectors the reduced fatigue is particularly beneficial.

The passengers who I've spoken to seem to have a generally higher opinion of the jet than on a triple seven. Lots of things can affect a flight; IFE, cabin crew, weather, landing etc but as a generalisation the 380 seems to come off well.

As a pilot, the 380 has a particularly demanding conversion course and requires a higher level of technical knowledge than a large Boeing, however it rewards knowledge with some really clever kit.

The 380 is never going to be the prettiest aeroplane but it can immediately land on any runway it's taken off from, it has huge margins at altitude ( the big wing ), it's fast and very comfortable and is less affected by turbulence than other modern long haul aircraft ( in my experience ), on top of which it can be handled manually in a tight circuit with real pleasure. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but in any cabin seat on the aeroplane the 380 offers extra.

I'm even starting to like the looks….

Edited by brenflys777 on Friday 21st February 00:53

[smack]

Have you been busy playing with the newest delivered one on a work junket in Durban by any chance?

[brenflys777]

smack said:

Have you been busy playing with the newest delivered one on a work junket in Durban by any chance?

You might think that, I couldn't possibly comment

[Silent1]

What got me with the a380 is that economy in the a380 is much closer to a bus style experience.

I've flown to Singapore and back multiple times in an a380, I travelled in economy once and the experience I got compared to any other plane in the Singapore airlines fleet was frankly crap because there's no interest in service to the cheap seats, I quite literally felt like cattle, a joke often made but I've never actually felt it in economy before.
It made me realise that in 20 years you'll get a meal and a drinks trolley and then you'll never see the air hostesses again because they're stretched thin and making it special isn't important any more over a race to the bottom and then you'll start paying for 'extras' Ryan air style!

[V41LEY]

I've flown to Singapore and back multiple times in an a380, I travelled in economy once and the experience I got compared to any other plane in the Singapore airlines fleet was frankly crap because there's no interest in service to the cheap seats, I quite literally felt like cattle, a joke often made but I've never actually felt it in economy before.
It made me realise that in 20 years you'll get a meal and a drinks trolley and then you'll never see the air hostesses again because they're stretched thin and making it special isn't important any more over a race to the bottom and then you'll start paying for 'extras' Ryan air style!
[/quote]
Travelling on SIA a lot I can confirm that those stewardesses are stretched thin, not the lardy MILF's you get on BA (and if they are offering 'extras' I have to pay for - I'm buying )


Moving on !
Angle is all all important. Shot this at the weekend and side-on - the 380 looks a bit like an obese kid - short and dumpy. Maybe if as suggested they stretch it, the proportions will improve.



I was on the little 320 which looks tiny in comparison !!

[XJ Flyer]

V41LEY said:

Moving on !
Angle is all all important. Shot this at the weekend and side-on - the 380 looks a bit like an obese kid - short and dumpy. Maybe if as suggested they stretch it, the proportions will improve.



I was on the little 320 which looks tiny in comparison !!

The older designs were certainly a lot easier on the eye from ships like the QE2 to aircraft like the VC10.

www.nwan.co.uk/images/vc10.jpg

www.britishairways.com/cms/global/assets/images/hi...

[anonymous-user]

Emirates appear to be almost single handedly keeping the production from slowing down. 140 out of 300 total a380 orders.

I know emirates is a big airline but I can't imagine they're going to fill that many aircraft when so many other hub to hub operators are scaling back and sticking to big twin jets like A350 B777 B787 etc

[anonymous-user]

el stovey said:

Emirates appear to be almost single handedly keeping the production from slowing down. 140 out of 300 total a380 orders.

I know emirates is a big airline but I can't imagine they're going to fill that many aircraft when so many other hub to hub operators are scaling back and sticking to big twin jets like A350 B777 B787 etc

I keep thinking that as well but I have been to Dubai several times in the last few months and EVERY flight has been packed and my friends say the same.
You've got to be first off and leg it through to passport control as it is carnage getting through.

[onyx39]

el stovey said:

Emirates appear to be almost single handedly keeping the production from slowing down. 140 out of 300 total a380 orders.

I know emirates is a big airline but I can't imagine they're going to fill that many aircraft when so many other hub to hub operators are scaling back and sticking to big twin jets like A350 B777 B787 etc

I wonder if Airbus offered them a really good deal so that they would replace their older aircraft, allowing them to flow into the 2nd hand market, thus allowing airlines to buy them at a cheaper rate and increasing sales?

[Bradgate]

hairyben said:

none at all? I thought it and the F was something airbus would tackle once they need/have time to; as it stands they have about 200 -800's on order so ticking along nicely, I expect a lot of their focus right now is on the A350- a plane they really need to get right.

Indeed. Airbus currently have more than enough on their to-do list with A350, A320 NEO and the likelihood that they will have to re-engine the A330 to compete with the 787 in the 250-300 seat market.

Airbus have not ruled out stretching the A380 at some point in the future, if and when there is demand for it. If any carrier would want the stretch, it’s Emirates. It is possible that Airbus and EK are talking about this, but that’s just speculation.

The A380F was offered at the start of the program, but there was negligible demand so it was put ‘on hold’ indefinitely.

[hairyben]

onyx39 said:

el stovey said:

Emirates appear to be almost single handedly keeping the production from slowing down. 140 out of 300 total a380 orders.

I know emirates is a big airline but I can't imagine they're going to fill that many aircraft when so many other hub to hub operators are scaling back and sticking to big twin jets like A350 B777 B787 etc

I wonder if Airbus offered them a really good deal so that they would replace their older aircraft, allowing them to flow into the 2nd hand market, thus allowing airlines to buy them at a cheaper rate and increasing sales?

How would lots of cheap 2nd hand planes help airbus though?

I expect emirates have nailed down a keen per unit price though. Maybe they like the benefits of standardisation of a fleet of 380s over several differing plane types. But given a lot of people are hedging bets on the economy picking up which will boost air traffic, emirates could be in a spectacular position to capitalise when it does, with zillions of seats avaliable on the newest, most comfortable fleet serving one of the most comprehensively connected global schedules. Whatever you think about the hub/spoke or PTP debate it's clear that building airports and runways is problematic in many countries and many big airports will be running at peak capacity for many years to come.

[onyx39]

hairyben said:

How would lots of cheap 2nd hand planes help airbus though?

I realise that the cost of an airliner is not the same as a second hand car ( I seem to recall that Richard Branson sold his (albeit already fairly old) first 747 for more than he paid for it. However, I would assume that there will be a certain amount of depreciation in value. Would a used A380 be more attractive to potential buyers than a brand spanking new one, and perhaps more affordable?

[hairyben]

onyx39 said:

hairyben said:

How would lots of cheap 2nd hand planes help airbus though?

I realise that the cost of an airliner is not the same as a second hand car ( I seem to recall that Richard Branson sold his (albeit already fairly old) first 747 for more than he paid for it. However, I would assume that there will be a certain amount of depreciation in value. Would a used A380 be more attractive to potential buyers than a brand spanking new one, and perhaps more affordable?

Oh I get you, replace the '380's themselves. I guess it could account for a number- emirates get shiney brand new planes with slightly better engines etc and a few smaller players get to make a statement by getting their paws on the otherwise unaffordable "big daddy" and get to rub wingtips with the big players on the apron- looking impressive to most customers who wouldn't know it's secondhand anyway.

[onyx39]

hairyben said:

onyx39 said:

hairyben said:

How would lots of cheap 2nd hand planes help airbus though?

I realise that the cost of an airliner is not the same as a second hand car ( I seem to recall that Richard Branson sold his (albeit already fairly old) first 747 for more than he paid for it. However, I would assume that there will be a certain amount of depreciation in value. Would a used A380 be more attractive to potential buyers than a brand spanking new one, and perhaps more affordable?

Oh I get you, replace the '380's themselves. I guess it could account for a number- emirates get shiney brand new planes with slightly better engines etc and a few smaller players get to make a statement by getting their paws on the otherwise unaffordable "big daddy" and get to rub wingtips with the big players on the apron- looking impressive to most customers who wouldn't know it's secondhand anyway.

[V41LEY]

el stovey said:

Emirates appear to be almost single handedly keeping the production from slowing down. 140 out of 300 total a380 orders.

I know emirates is a big airline but I can't imagine they're going to fill that many aircraft when so many other hub to hub operators are scaling back and sticking to big twin jets like A350 B777 B787 etc

Hopefully, overcapacity will lower prices. They are definitely a big player and it's interesting that they have driven a wedge into the long haul asia market. Living in Singapore - only SIA and BA now fly direct here. BA's 380 will be here soon and there is something like a 25% increase in capacity for BA to fill as a result of the Qantas decision to move their hub to Dubai. I only wish I was around when Concorde flew here direct when BA / SIA shared a plane with different livery on each side. It only made three scheduled flights before the Malaysian government kicked up a stink about the noise. Criminal !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Singapore_Airlin...

[J4CKO]

I know what Ray means, but I see them everyday where I work and they have grown on me, I see them banking over and though they are a bit tubby I do think they have something, not completely ungainly. The fact they exist is fantastic, an engineering marvel.

That said, next to a 747 they look dull, the Jumbo has such grace and a distinctive shape, however it brought it home to me where progress has been made, a 747 came in whilst walking the dog near the airport, all noise and fury, smoking tyres, howling engines and a hint of "Whoa there big fella", then a 380 came in and it was like it was placed gently onto the runway, minimum of fuss and noise and stopped in a lot shorter distance.

I was born in the same year as the 747 so I have a fondness for it, both getting on but still have a few years in us yet !

[TVR-NUT]

I must admit that it is not the most 'prettiest' of aeroplanes to look at. However I was fortunate enough to fly out on one with qauntas to Sydney in 2009 and I much preferred it to the 747 that I flew back to the UK in. Economy class both ways by the way.